National Clothesline
Fulton finishes expansion project
“The $10.5 million expansion features production efficiencies that are already
allowing for increased response to customer demands,” said Mark Hilton, Fulton’s vice president of manufacturing. “The new facility will also provide the opportunity to expand Fulton’s product lines.”
The expansion’s manufacturing space is now fully functioning; office space transitions have
begun and are expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2012. An
additional $3.5 million will be spent to complete project interior and
equipment needs.
Guests will be encouraged to visit and see firsthand the cutting-edge building
features for heating and cooling, lighting, and customized energy recovery.
Some of the facility’s innovative strategies are:
Heating. A heating system for the office space features a 12-zone in-floor
radiant hydronic system. When there is a need for heat in this space, waste
heat from either the factory’s Research & Development facilities, or its manufacturing processes, is assessed and used.
This unique recovery feature will make a significant impact on the energy costs
and efficiencies of the building.
Cooling. The office space is divided into 43 zones with a state-of-the-art
chilled beam system mounted in the ceilings to efficiently distribute cooling
to the building occupants.
Cooling towers are incorporated to manage the energy balance of the overall
system. For example, when waste heat exceeds the energy required by the system,
excess energy can be rejected to the cooling towers.
The system also has the potential to utilize gas absorption heat pumps and
retention ponds as an energy source.
The expansion has provided an opportunity for Fulton’s affiliate, Synex Controls (www.synexcontrols.com), to integrate a custom
state-of-the-art energy management system. The control system centralizes and
manages the facility’s heating, cooling, fresh air, humidification, and lighting.
A Synex web interface allows employees to interact on a personal level with the
heating and cooling system to capture comfort preferences. System-wide
real-time data is readily available via the internet, and there are plans to
display the Synex control data for visitors in the facility’s lobby area.
An example of Synex’s leading-edge technology at the facility is the usage of real time weather
data, including current and predicted ambient conditions, to manage the heating
and cooling loads. Sunrise/sunset times are also incorporated, to drive indoor
and outdoor lighting needs.
The equipment installation and the Synex control system have been designed to
integrate evolving technology over time, with the goal of keeping the overall
system modern.
“Not only is this a beautiful facility that demonstrates some of the most
advanced technology available in the industry, it also positions Fulton well
for the future,” said Kathy Sega, Fulton’s executive vice president and general manager for U.S. operations.
In addition to the expansion site, Fulton maintains other facilities in Pulaski,
NY; Ohio; Texas; the United Kingdom; and China.
Video and project background may be viewed on Fulton’s web site, www.fulton.com, along with additional information about Fulton and
its products.
Rey’s Cleaners wins royaltone contest
Royaltone has announced that Rey’s Cleaners in the South Florida area won its Thanksgiving contest to win a free full-sized
UGG Boot Cleaning Kit.
Rey’s is a full service, multiple location drycleaning operation that has won awards
for offering customers quality service in every area of textile cleaning.
“We were excited to send the extra loaded prize winning UGG Boot Cleaning Kit to
a cleaner who is already offering their customers multiple services, including
suede and leather cleaning. We can’t wait to get their feedback on how well the Royaltone process is working in
their business,” said Royaltone owner Carl Randall.
Randall thanked all cleaners who participated and said his company plans similar
contests in the future.
“Our industry really responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to get such a
great business building kit for free,” he said.
He added that cleaning UGGS has helped hundreds of cleaners develop a simple and
inexpensive way to build their businesses.
